Still in Demand, by George

Feb. 1, 2013 6:28 p.m. ET

George Washington proved himself a national treasure once again at New York's Americana auctions, where two paintings of the first president brought in top prices.

At Sotheby's, a watercolor by Benjamin Henry Latrobe that shows the first first family on the porch of Mount Vernon sold for $602,500 to the Mount Vernon Ladies Association; that means the work will once again adorn the walls of the Washingtons' home. At Christie's, a...